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Top Ten Lead Guitarist of Christian Metal

Mace Beard

10/24/2016 11:28AM

Here's another list! This is going to be one of the last ones. There will be two more after this one. So here it is guys!

10. Randy Torres (Project 86)

Randy Torres started his musical career in 1996 with the band Project 86. The band reached commercial success with the album Drawing Black Lines in 2000. Torres left the band in 2009. Torres was the main guitarist for 13 years before he left. His guitar playing was spectacular before leaving and doing his new band with Ryan Clark (Demon Hunter), NYVES.

9. Coca Avila (Your Chance to Die)

Coca Avila is the lead guitarist of the Christian Technical Death Metal band, Your Chance to Die. Avila formed the band in 2007 with his wife, Missi. Coca and Missi have continued on with the band and has recently signed to EMP Underground. Coca shreds on his guitar. The band has gained a lot of popularity as of late, so maybe Coca will get some praise on his Guitar work.

8. Jason Truby (Living Sacrifice, P.O.D.)

Jason Truby started his shredding in 1989 with Christian thrash/death Metalcore pioneers Living Sacrifice. Truby was on the band's four albums, three with DJ Johnson on Vocals and one with Bruce Fitzhugh's. In 1998, Truby and his brother Chris, who took over Bass after Johnson left, left the band. In 2006, P.O.D. hired Truby as their new guitarist after Guitarist Marcos Curiel quit. Truby was on the self-titled album and the Testify album. Truby left the band the same day Curiel asked if he could come back. Truby shreds on the metal guitar. He currently does solo work as a Contemporary Christian artist. Wish he would go back to his roots.

7. Alex Kenis (Becoming the Archetype, Solamors, Aletheian)

Alex Kenis has played guitars for three different Christian metal bands! He started that endeavor with Aletheian, who was originally named Crutch in 1997. Kenis was the only consistent member of Aletheian throughout its initial existence (1997-2008). The band is currently on hiatus. In between Aletheian's original run, Kenis joined Becoming the Archetype as the lead guitarist. He joined and soon after recorded the album, Physics of Fire in 2007 and left the band in 2008. In 2012, Kenis started working on a project called Solamors. After he started writing, he hired on Vocalist Jason Wisdom (ex-Becoming the Archetype, Death Therapy) and Drummer Travis Turner (ex-Aletheian, UnTeachers). The band released their debut album, Depravity's Demise in 2013. Kenis has been inactive since with musical endeavors, other than a cover song he did for the 25th anniversary of Megadeth's song "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" with Turner and Living Sacrifice Vocalist Bruce Fitzhugh.

6. Nick Morris (As They Sleep)

Nick Morris formed As They Sleep with Vocalist Aaron Bridgewater and Drummer Paul Burkett. He recorded the Lead Guitars on both of the band's albums, Blacken the Sun (2008) and Dynasty (2010). His leads kill on these albums. This band makes my top 10 favorite Christian death metal bands because of the lead guitars. And probably drums.

5. Daniel Gailey (Becoming the Archetype, Phinehas)

Daniel Gailey is the current lead guitarist for both Becoming the Archetype and Phinehas. Dan started his career in the mid 2000's with the Christian Deathcore band Thaddeus. He joined BTA in 2010 and recorded on Celestial Completion and I Am before the band went on hiatus. In 2014, Dan joined Phinehas. With Phinehas' new album, Till the End, Dan shreds on his guitar. With the Metalcore breakdowns and the solos it made the album very successful.

4. Andrew Godwin (Embodyment, The Famine, Hope Deferred)

Andrew Godwin was the guitarist for Embodyment and The Famine and is the guitarist/bassist/programmer/vocalist of Hope Deferred. In 1993, Godwin formed Embodyment with Mark Garza and Jason Lindquist under the name Supplication. Later on the band added Kevin Donnini and Kris McCaddon and switched to Embodyment. With the band's debut, Embrace the Eternal, Godwin performed some of his best work, being in the death metal/Deathcore genre at the time, before the band switched into more of an alternative metal band. Godwin performs on several records, including every release from Embodyment, The Famine, Pyrithion (a band with Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying and Ryan Gillsan of Allegaeon), and his project Hope Deferred.

3. Rocky Gray (Living Sacrifice, Soul Embraced)

Rocky Gray joined Living Sacrifice in 1998 after the departure of Jason Truby. Gray had previously worked for secular/anti-Christian bands including Shredded Corpse, before becoming a Christian and joining LS. The same year he joined LS, he restarted his one off project, Soul Embraced with his brother-in-law Chad Moore (Vocals), Charlie West (Rhythm Guitars), and Lance Garvin (Drums). Both of these projects continue to occasionally work, Soul Embraced being more inactive while Living Sacrifice is a little more active. Gray kills with his solos and makes the music sound nothing like your run-of-the-mill Metalcore.

2. Dave Blackmore (Death Requisite)

Dave Blackmore, or Dave Requisite, started Death Requisite in 1999 with his friends in Sarasota, Florida. The band formed in 1999, went on hiatus in 2005, but reunited in 2010. Dave started the band and has continued it on with his amazing leads. I have heard the band's next record, Revisitation, due to be released on November 25, 2016, and it has some of the best solos I've ever heard. (In case you were wondering why Dave was at the top) The dude can shred. And has crazy ideas for the band. Go listen to the song "Refuge of Lies" and listen to the beginning (and the rest of it of course). The weird droning sound, is Dave using a violin ...thing and playing it on an acoustic guitar. The dude is musically prolific and an amazing Guitarist. Go check his stuff out.

1. Larry Farkas (Vengeance Rising)

Larry Farkas ultimately wins the Best Lead Guitarist in Christian Metal. He joined the band Vengeance Rising back in 1987 and shredded his way through two albums, two of the best albums of Christian metal. Those solos on those albums, still hold up today. If you put Vengeance Rising up with the big four (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax), along with Deliverance, Tourniquet and Believer, Vengeance would definitely hold out in comparison.